The Nutcracker flashes his sword at the terrible Mouse King, in Act I, scene 3 "A Curious Combat" from Dennis Nahat's stunning version of THE NUTCRACKER, presented by Ballet San Jose, December 13-23, 2007. Photo by John Gerbetz

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The Nutcracker flashes his sword at the terrible Mouse King, in Act...

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Prince Alexis and Maria prepare to fly off to Muscovy on the back of a giant white Snow Bird in Act I, scene 4 "A Wondrous Snowstorm" from Dennis Nahat's stunning version of THE NUTCRACKER, presented by Ballet San Jose, December 13-23, 2007. Photo by John Gerbetz
Ran on: 12-15-2007
The Nutcracker flashes his sword in Dennis Nahat's production by the Ballet San Jose.

There's a pleasantly warm, homey feeling almost as soon as you walk into the San Jose Performing Arts Center for Ballet San Jose's "Nutcracker." It's the kind of show at which a complete stranger might lean over the seat back and chat as if you'd been friends for years, and at Thursday's opening night for the company's two-week run, dancegoers of all ages were in anticipatory high spirits.

Artistic Director Dennis Nahat's staging of his 1979 ballet - with a scenario that he and the late Ian Horvath adapted from an E.T.A. Hoffmann tale - is a jaunty, colorful affair, full of bounce-and-go, enough to charm the first-time viewer or even the most jaded veteran of "Nutcrackers" past.

Nahat's take on America's holiday tradition plays to the strengths of the 44-member Ballet San Jose, filled out onstage by young dancers from Ballet San Jose School. This is a company notable for the lively and convincing way in which it tells stories and creates characters, a quality all too rare these days in ballet. It's surely no accident that Nahat's is one of the few productions in which every character has a specific name. From the shameless mugging to the winking asides, the byplay between the personalities onstage is a hoot to watch, and suddenly the first-act Christmas party - normally something of a slog - becomes genuinely entertaining. Best of all is Nahat himself, playing Maria's charismatic and eccentric godfather, Drosselmeyer, with impressively nimble beats in his patent leather dress shoes.

On Thursday night, all the enthusiasm clearly drew the audience into the story. Delighted laughter and horrified gasps rippled through the house during the party scene, and startled shrieks erupted when a particularly loud flash turned the wooden Nutcracker doll into the handsome Ramón Moreno.

Given that the first act is so dramatically coherent and admirably directed, though, it's too bad that the second act isn't equally so. After battling the Mouse King and traveling through the land of snow to catch a lift in a magical swan boat, Maria and the Prince formerly known as Nutcracker journey from her comfortable Austrian home through Spain, Arabia and China on their way to Moscow. What do they teach kids in geography these days?

Well, it is, after all, just a dream, although arguably life in the Tannenbaums' Viennese home looks rather more fun and boisterous than the other exotic locales on their itinerary.

As Maria and the Prince, the irrepressible Maria Jacobs and Moreno have an impressive amount of dancing to do, and they dance impressively, appearing in most of the divertissements throughout the second half. Both of these appealing dancers are of the small, compact variety, making them eminently well suited to Nahat's often complicated and springy choreography. Likewise, the vivacious Mirai Noda and Le Mai Linh stand out in the Spanish section, navigating the quick footwork more comfortably than the capable yet leggy Haley Henderson and Mads Eriksen.

Especially notable in the second act is Alexsandra Meijer as the Tsarina, Nahat's equivalent to the Sugar Plum Fairy. If there were a medal for bravery in dance, Meijer would be a shoo-in. Her cool aplomb in turns and jumps that were more hindered than helped by partner Maximo Califano salvaged a steely-nerved elegance from their grand pas de deux, and her determined fish dives, in the face of all odds, drew gasps and well-deserved applause. Meijer even managed to rise above the curiously leaden-sounding thud of the celesta music in her delicate solo.

It was generally a good night, though, for the Symphony Silicon Valley under the baton of Dwight Oltman. Purists may find the mix-and-match rearrangement of the Tchaikovsky score jarring - with bits of "Capriccio Italien" and "Eugene Onegin" thrown in - although anyone less familiar with "Nutcracker" probably won't even notice. After all, there's a darn good show on the stage, and that's all that matters.